SA8000 Certification in Guatemala and Honduras Achieved One Year Ahead of Target
Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB) announced that independent auditors have certified its banana farms in Guatemala and Honduras to the Social Accountability 8000 labor and human rights standard.
This means that 100 percent of Chiquita’s owned banana farms in Latin America are now certified to the SA8000 international labor standard in addition to the stringent environmental standards of the Rainforest Alliance. These farms cover approximately 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) in total area and provide employment to more than 14,000 people. In 2002, Chiquita’s banana division in Costa Rica earned SA8000 certification, and the company’s owned farms in Panama and Colombia were certified in 2003. (The company’s banana operations in Colombia were sold in June 2004, and the new owner has agreed to maintain SA8000 certification on these farms.) Intertek Testing Services completed inspections of Chiquita’s banana production, harvesting and packaging operations in the Maya division (Guatemala and Honduras) in October 2004 and issued the compliance certificate for this division early this year. In each of these countries, Chiquita’s farms were the first major agricultural operations to achieve SA8000 certification.
Chiquita Brands International is a leading international marketer, producer and distributor of high-quality bananas and other fresh produce, which are sold under the premium Chiquita brand. The company is one of the largest banana producers in the world and a major supplier of bananas in Europe and North America. The company also distributes and markets fresh-cut fruit and other branded, value-added fruit products.
Social Accountability 8000 is a comprehensive, verifiable standard based on International Labor Organization (ILO) and other human rights conventions. SA8000 sets performance standards in nine areas: child labor, forced labor, health and safety, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, discrimination, discipline, working hours, remuneration and management systems. http://www.sa-intl.org
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